My friend and fellow DisBroad, Tania, wrote this post earlier this year. With her permission I thought it was worth a share! Enjoy- and be sure to visit the Adult Side of Disney for more great posts like this.

So you want to run a runDisney race with a group of friends? Great! I completely recommend it! It is important to remember some race etiquette, though, to be fair to all runners. Disney’s Princess Half Marathon 2013 was my first runDisney race and my first half marathon. Since then I have run 3 other half marathons including Disney’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon and Disney’s Tinker Bell Half Marathon. Honestly, the Princess Half felt so crowded compared to the other races and I probably saw the most un-princess-like behavior there. So let’s be safe and courteous princesses, please.

Please start in your proper corral. I know we get all hung up on the letters and somehow it messes with our psyche. But if you submitted a proof of time, then you should have been placed with runners of your same pace. This is good..for everyone! That way you don’t start off too fast, you don’t start too slow. Be honest about your placement. If you want to run with friends who may be faster, then don’t try to be a corral jumper. Have them drop back with you. The race will still be fun! Everyone needs good race karma.

Please, please stay to the right, so others can pass on the left if they need to. If people are running with other runners that have similar paces, then run/walkers can do their thing to the right, and runners can do their thing to the left. When people just throw caution to the wind, that’s when the congestion happens and you have people trying to pass on the left and on the right. Weaving ensues, more accidental bumping occurs, and that’s when the curse words start flying. I really hate seeing fights and words being exchanged on the course. It just ruins the magic for everyone. Sadly it happens and it would be great if it didn’t.

Extra good karma if you are a run/walker and you signal either with a raise of the hand or yell “walking” when you start your walking interval. There are tons of Galloway runners in runDisney races, so sometimes the thousands of beeping watches gets confusing. And no disrespect from me for being a run/walker or having a beeping watch, because there are so many who can kick my trash in races. First time racers or first timers to runDisney races just might not be aware of it.

Comments

I love this post every time I read it! Might you and Tania re-post it on the runDisney website?! As someone who runs most every race as far right as possible, I’m shocked that folks meander (in flocks) someplace in the middle. I’ll probably never see the left side of any course, but I’m happy with my slice of turf. Happy trails all!

Patty Holliday

If she isn’t chasing her four kids around Northern Virginia, Patty is chasing four bars on her phone to share her authentic and fun stories on social media and her blog, My No-Guilt Life. She’s also one half of the Marvel Moms, an online community for discussing the Marvel fandom. You can catch up on her runDisney fun at No-Guilt Disney.